Indoor, outdoor golf game



March 12, 1963 M. s. CONGLETON INDOOR, OUTDOOR GOLF GAME Filed Oct. 4, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F! G. 4 Z6 Z5- {7/ @5 0 :1 I

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March 12, 1963 Filed Oct. 4, 1961 M. S. CONGLETON INDOOR, OUTDOOR GOLF GAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent ()fiice 3,081,090 Patented Mar. 12,1063

, 3,081,090 INDOOR, OUTDOOR GOLF GAME Merylon S. Congleton, Chester, Pa. Filed Oct. 4, 1961, Ser. No. 142,838 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-176) This invention relates generally to skill games and more particularly to a game having certain aspects of the actual game of golf.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an indoor, outdoor golf game which may be played both by adults and by children and which has recreational value and which aids in promoting the skill of the player.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a golf game which may be played out of doors or indoors, as desired, and which can be easily set up on any flat surface.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an indoor, outdoor golf game which. is easy to handle, light in Weight, not damaging to the floor, walls or other interior of a room and which may also be quickly and readily stored when not in use.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an indoor,

outdoor galf game bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture andeflicient. in' operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the present invention showing the parts in spread out array;

FIG. 2 is a vertical view of one of the clubs used for putting the ball;

FIG. 3 is a view of one of the balls;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. land looking in the direction of the arrows thereof;

FIG. 5 is a transverse view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereof;

FIG. 6- is a transverse view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereof;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 5 and showing a modified form of construction.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 10 represents an indoor, outdoor golf game according to the present invention wherein the equipment for the game is comprised of three wicket mats 11, four cup pad holes 12, four special golf clubs 13 and four special golf balls 14, each of the wicket mats 11 being comprised of a nonskid, no mark pad of approximately 70 inches in length, 12 inches in width and one-eighth inch thickness. The upper surface of the wicket mats 11 is painted with luminous paint. Near each end of the wicket mats 11 is an opening of approximately 2 /2 inches in diameter. The depth of each of the openings is somewhat less than the thickness of the mat itself.

Each of the openings, identified by the numeral 15, may be made with a brass or other metal grommet around the circumference, if so preferred. At the center of the wicket mat there is provided an upstanding wicket 16, the pad 17 of the Wicket mat 11 being provided with a pair of upstanding embossrnents 18. Each of the embossrnents 18 is provided with a central opening 19 within which the legs 20 of a wicket 21 are located. The wicket may be made of steel or solid plastic, as desired, and the legs may be frictionally held or molded into the embossment on the upper surface of the pad. The wicket has an arch portion 22 adjacent the upper ends of the legs, thearch 22 communicating between each of the legs. A wicket pointer 23 is molded or otherwise secured .to the top center of the wicket, as shown in FIG. 6, and the pointer 23 has a pointed end 24 at its bottom. Each of the cup pad holes 12 is comprised of a circular pad 25 and a central opening 26. Suggested dimensions for the element are that the pad be approximately 12 inches in diameter and approximately one-eighth inch thick at the periphery of the central opening, this thickness gradually dimensioning toward the outer periphery of the pad to approximately one-thirty-second inch. The central opening 26 is of a depth slightly less than the thickness of the pad. The central opening may be provided with a brass or other metal grommet around its periphery if desired, similar tothe openings 15 in the ends of the wicket mats 11.

As stated, the present game includes a plurality of special golf clubs and golf balls. The golf clubs 13' are comprised of a longitudinal shank 27 having a handle 28 at the upper end thereof, and a putter element 29 at the lower end. The club 13 may be made of wood, plastic or possibly hard rubber, as desired. A suggested length for the clubs would beapproximately 38 inches. The special golf ball 14 is made of a material such that when hit by the golf club during play it would resist somewhat the full impact of contact and react with a governed speed of travel. A suggested dimension for the ball is approximately 3 inches in diameter.

It is suggested that the surface 30 of the ball be rough, cross ribbed in efi'ect for best playing results. If preferred, the surface may be indented or raised with irregular spots 31. It is to be here noted that the peripheral edges of the wicket mats are of relatively thin cross section as indicated in FIG. 5 and the cross section of the matt being increased to its maximum thickness at a point adjacent the periphery of the central opening 15.

As shown in FIG. 5 the opening 15 may be made to extend fully through the pad and made with a countersunk upper edge as indicated at 32. In FIG. 7 a modified construction is shown of the wicket mat or cup pad hole wherein the opening is provided with a brass or metal grommet 33 as described hereinabove. The opening may be made to extend entirely through the device, as shown in FIG. 7, if preferred. It is to be noted that the upper edge of the said grommet is provided with a countersunk configuration 34. It is also to be noted that the construction as shown may be varied. The cut pad landing pieces in the wicket mats may be of cold rubber, pressed into the mats with rubber cement on each contact surface for bonding and securing the pieces in place, or they may be made of hot rubber molded into the mat. The dimensions of various parts, stated above, are offered only as suggestions and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention.

In operation, the object of the game is to start at the cup pad located at one end of a Wicket mat, as for example at A, as shown in FIG. 1. The player places his ball into the opening at this point and takes his turn. The object is to hit the ball through the wicket and land the ball in the cup pad opening B in front of the wicket. A stroke is charged each time the player strikes or touches his ball. The player aims next to place his ball into the single cup opening C at his right. After he has done this, he next aims the ball for the first opening D in the next wicket mat, and then proceeds in a similar manner by hitting the ball through the wicket into the opening E. The remainder of his course is as indicated by the subsequent letters, F through 0. During the game, an extra stroke is charged every time the player fails to play through the wicket or fails to land the ball in the cup hole. The game is completed when the winning player lands his ball in the last hole as indicated at O.

The game may be playedrby two to four persons, and may be played with the players as partners or singles, as desired. Different variations in the placement of the wicket mats will add to the diversification of the game and may be made at the discretion of the players.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such Changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a golf game, the combination of a plurality of wicket mats, each wicket mat being independently placeable relative to any other wicket mat, a plurality of cup pad holeelements, each of said cup pad hole elements being independently placeable relative to any other cup pad hole element or said wicket mat and separately a plurality of golf clubs and golf balls for playing engagement upon said wicket mats and cup pad hole elements, said wicket mat comprising alongitudinal pad having a relatively narrow width, a vertically extending opening adjacent each end of said pad, said pad having a maximum thickness adjacent the periphery of each of said vertically extending openings and said thickness. of said pad being gradually diminishedto aminimum thicknessat the periphery of said pad, said pad having a pair of laterally spacedapart upstanding embossments on the upper side thereof and at a midpoint between the two said vertically extending openings, an upstanding wicket affixed to each of said bosses, said wicket comprising means whereby a ball may be passed therethrough from one said vertically extending opening to the other said vertically extending opening.

2. In a golf game, the combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wicket comprises a pair of vertically extending spaced apart legs, an arch, each end of which is adjacent the upper ends of each of said legs, a vertically extending pointer element affixed to the center of said arch and said pointer having a pointed lower end formed by converging sides.

3. In a golf game, the combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the said cup pad hole elements each comprises a circular pad having a vertically extending central opening, said pad having a maximum thickness adjacent the periphery of the said vertically extending opening and a gradually diminishing thickness radially outwardly from said central opening to a minimum thickness at the periphcry of said pad.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,503,283 Page July 29, 1924 1,540,771 Foster June 9, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,751 Great Britain 1913 

1. IN A GOLF GAME, THE COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF WICKET MATS, EACH WICKET MAT BEING INDEPENDENTLY PLACEABLE RELATIVE TO ANY OTHER WICKET MAT, A PLURALITY OF CUP PAD HOLE ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID CUP PAD HOLE ELEMENTS BEING INDEPENDENTLY PLACEABLE RELATIVE TO ANY OTHER CUP PAD HOLE ELEMENT OR SAID WICKET MAT AND SEPARATELY A PLURALITY OF GOLF CLUBS AND GOLF BALLS FOR PLAYING ENGAGEMENT UPON SAID WICKET MATS AND CUP PAD HOLE ELEMENTS, SAID WICKET MAT COMPRISING A LONGITUDINAL PAD HAVING A RELATIVELY NARROW WIDTH, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING OPENING ADJACENT EACH END OF SAID PAD, SAID PAD HAVING A MAXIMUM THICKNESS ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF EACH OF SAID VER- 